"Now, you all hunt around for the things we dropped. If we can find them we'll push out right away for the camp and the professor. You know he'll be worried about us, just as we are worried about him!" With the light of the improvised torch flaring about them they saw what manner of place they were in. The huge trunk of the fallen tree had not entirely shut them in the hole. Mark got in position to climb out beside the tree-trunk. There was a small, tough root sticking out of the bank above his head. He leaped to catch it with one hand, intending to scramble out by its aid. And then the very queerest thing happened to him that could be imagined. The spring he took shot him up through the hole like an arrow taking flight. He never touched the root, but over-shot the mark and disappeared with a loud scream of amazement and alarm into the outer world. CHAPTER XII THE GEYSER "Somebody grabbed him!" shouted Andy Sudds. "Oh, lawsy-massy-gollyation!" yelped the frightened darkey. "Massa Mark done been kerried up, suah 'nuff! I tole youse disher was de end ob de worl'." But Jack, followed by the old hunter, sprang to the opening. How light they were upon their feet! The experience of moving shot this surprising thought through Jack Darrow's mind: "I'm as light as a feather. I have lost half my weight, I declare I How can that be possible?" Andy Sudds was evidently disturbed by the same thought. He cried: "Somebody holt onto me! I'm going up!" He did actually bump his head upon the tree trunk above them. But the next moment Jack scrambled through the opening, light and all, and came out upon the open ground. "I'm here, Jack! I'm here!" cried Mark. "But what's happened to me?" "Whatever it is, it has happened to us all," returned his chum. "I seem to have overcome a good bit of the law of gravitation. Never felt so light in my heels in all my life before." "What can it mean?" whispered Mark in his chum's ear. "It's magic!" "You've got me," admitted Jack. "I'm not trying to explain it. But I know that the air pressure on me isn't as great as it was. I feel like we did when we were on the moon." "Something awful has happened," suggested Mark, his tone still worried. "We can be sure of that," Andy Sudds said. "What shall we do?" "Find that stuff we were carrying and get back to the professor with it," said Jack, briefly. "Here! I see the storage battery lamp--or, one of them at least." Mark at the same time stooped to pick up two of the lost rods. Jack found the lamp to be in good order and gave it to Andy. The torch was rapidly becoming exhausted. "Come, Washington," urged Jack, "you hunt around, too. We must find the parts of the airship we dropped. If we don't find them we'll _never_ get away from this place."